US Open Tennis 2020: TV Schedule, Live Stream for Monday Afternoon

Serena Williams has an opportunity to avenge a recent defeat during the 2020 U.S. Open fourth round Monday.

The No. 3 seed in the women's singles draw faces Maria Sakkari in the opening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She fell to the Greek in the round of 16 at the Western & Southern Open in August.

A rematch from the 2019 U.S. Open headlines the men's afternoon slate, as Matteo Berrettini and Andrey Rublev square off at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

A year ago, Berrettini cruised through his fourth-round matchup with Rublev on his way to a semifinal berth.

US Open Monday Afternoon Schedule

TV: ESPN (11 a.m.-4 p.m. ET); ESPN 2 (4-7 p.m. ET)

Live Stream: ESPN.com or ESPN app

Picks

No. 3 Serena Williams over No. 15 Maria Sakkari

Sakkari enters Monday with a rare winning record over Williams from her recent triumph at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Earning a second win in quick succession over the greatest female tennis player of all time will be a much more difficult task.

Williams played some of her best tennis in the final two sets of her third-round victory over Sloane Stephens Saturday. In those two sets, the No. 3 seed produced 19 winners, eight aces and just 10 unforced errors. The 23-time Grand Slam champion closed out the victory by winning 92 percent of her first-serve points, while breaking Stephens on two occasions.

If she carries over that form into Monday, Williams could be hard to beat. She also has the advantage of recently playing Sakkari and knowing which adjustments to make to throw her opponent out of rhythm.

Sakkari comes into Monday's match with plenty of confidence after defeating Amanda Anisimova in two quick sets. The No. 15 seed earned 11 winners compared to eight unforced errors and won 77 percent of her first-serve points.

However, there is one weakness Williams could exploit from the start: Sakkari only put 63 percent of her first serves in play.

If Sakkari is wasteful at the start of her service games and Williams takes advantage of second serves with less power behind them, it could lead to early break-point opportunities.

If Williams wins, she could have an easy path to the semifinals since a pair of unseeded players are competing for the other spot in her potential quarterfinal matchup.

No. 10 Andrey Rublev over No. 6 Matteo Berrettini

The pair have grown since their meeting in New York a year ago.

Berrettini has risen from the No. 24 seed to No. 6 seed at the U.S. Open in the span of a year and has a Grand Slam semifinal berth on his resume. Rublev went from unseeded in 2019 to the No. 10 seed in 2020 and has reached the fourth round in three straight majors for the first time in his career.

Rublev should enter Monday's match with a bit more confidence after he lost only four games in three sets to Salvatore Caruso. In that victory, the 10th-seeded Russian reeled off 35 winners, won 42 of 70 receiving points and delivered 17 aces.

Berrettini was impressive as well against Casper Ruud, as he produced 40 winners, 13 aces and took 19 of 27 net points. But there were a few flaws in the Italian's game that could be taken advantage of by Rublev.

The No. 6 seed committed 40 unforced errors and placed 60 percent of his 88 first serves in play.

If Berrettini is a bit sloppy on even one service game, Rublev could take advantage and earn a break that swings the momentum of the match. And if Rublev avenges his 2019 defeat to Berrettini and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev beats Frances Tiafoe on Monday night, at least one Russian man will be guaranteed a spot in the semifinals.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from USOpen.org.